/24-7PressRelease/ - OSSONA, ITALY, January 22, 2007 - It has become increasingly urgent to increase the traffic capacity of existing roads by widening the carriageway. Consequently, bridges and flyovers must also be widened.
"The civil engineer has two options" says Mr Cesare Crosti, General Manger of Agom International Srl - "either build a new bridge at great expense, or retrofit the existing one by extending the deck. Adding a new deck is much cheaper but requires a longitudinal expansion joint between the old and the new parts of the bridge".
Longitudinal expansion joints allow the two parts of the bridge to move independently of each other without creating a dangerous gap in the road surface.
The expansion joint also needs a special antiskid surface to avoid tyres slipping when they travel over the joint, especially important in bad weather conditions when there is very little grip between the tyre and the joint.
"To allow engineers to retrofit existing bridges, saving money without compromising road safety, Agom has designed the AGLJ Longitudinal Expansion Joint with the AGRIP System to absorb and allow movement between the two bridge decks" explains Mr Crosti.
The AGLJ Expansion Joint allows the bridge decks to move in every direction so traffic is able to pass over the gap safely. The joint is made of steel reinforced rubber and is completely waterproof.
The joint is also provided with the innovative AGRIP antiskid surface to increase tyre grip and so improve road safety, especially in rainy or snowy conditions. This exclusive antiskid surface is the first on the market to be completely maintenance-free and noise-proof.
AGLJ joints come in 1 meter lengths and are extremely easy to fit; the elements are connected together with a male-female coupling and secured to the structure with anchor bolts.
Agom expansion joints have been successfully installed on the widened Bottego bridge that connects the two sides of the city of Parma in Italy (pictured above before and after the bridge widening).
A technical description of the expansion joint can be found on the Agom website at http://www.agom.it/index.aspx?m=53&did=2188 or for more information you can e-mail info@agom.it.
Agom International Srl is a European engineering and manufacturing company, operating globally, and dedicated to the design and manufacture of products for the infrastructure, construction and industrial markets. Agom specialises in steel and elastomeric bridge bearings, bridge expansion joints, anti-seismic devices and shock absorbers for bridges and buildings. Products designed and manufactured by Agom have been installed in some of the world's most important civil engineering works and are CE certified.
About Agom
Agom is a leading European company specialised in designing and manufacturing bridge bearings (steel and elastomeric), bridge expansion joints, anti-seismic devices and shock absorbers for bridges and buildings, dock fenders, and many other engineering applications for the industrial market
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